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LAKEPORT, Calif. – A Willits man who attempted to outrun law enforcement following an attempted traffic stop in the Lakeport area was taken into custody early Saturday.
John Paul Wilson, 32, was arrested at 2:50 a.m. Saturday, according to Lake County Jail booking records.
Radio reports indicated that a sheriff’s deputy had attempted to pull over Wilson, driving a Cadillac Escalade, for reckless driving near Lake County Juvenile Hall on Whalen Way, which resulted in the pursuit.
Wilson led the deputy down Lakeshore Boulevard, with Wilson reported to be driving in the middle of the road, radio reports indicated.
Lakeport Police Officer Joe Eastham said he was staged in the area and joined the chase when Wilson turned onto Alterra Drive.
Eastham said the chase had reached speeds of 75 miles per hour on Lakeshore Boulevard before he joined the pursuit.
Once Eastham joined the chase, “It only lasted probably three blocks,” he said.
Alterra Drive dead ends into Stubbs Street, and that’s where Wilson drove off the road and into an orchard area, where his vehicle got stuck, Eastham said.
He said Wilson attempted to flee on foot before he was apprehended by the deputy.
Wilson was booked into the Lake County Jail on a misdemeanor charge of driving on a suspended license, and felonies for possessing a billy club and evading an officer, according to jail records.
His bail was set at $35,000, and jail records indicated that he remained in custody on Sunday, with a court date set for Jan. 22.
Email Elizabeth Larson at
LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – Registration for the 23rd annual Konocti Challenge is now open.
The popular cycling event will be held Saturday, Oct. 5.
Once again, the Rotary Club of Lakeport – the sponsor for the event – is offering an “early bird discount” for online registration through April 30.
Save $10 on your 40-, 65- and 100-mile routes if you register online by April 30, so don’t delay.
The Konocti Challenge is a fun-filled cycling event for all ages.
The challenging 65 and 100 mile routes encircle beautiful Clear Lake, while the more subdued 40 mile route travels up Lakeshore Boulevard through Scotts Valley and then around gorgeous Big Valley through Kelseyville and back to Lakeport.
They also have a family friendly 20 mile ride that children enjoy.
There are seven well placed and fully stocked rest stops located around Lake County.
All stops are manned by local nonprofit groups competing for your votes and their share of a $5,000 prize pool. This equates to themes, decorations and all sorts of crazy antics to get your vote.
In addition, they have plenty of support and gear support on all routes to assist riders, and the end-of-ride barbecue on the shores of beautiful Clear Lake at the Lakeport Yacht Club is something not to miss.
Register by Aug. 31 and get a free t-shirt, bottle and patch. All of this included in the price of your registration.
Also, back by popular demand this year is the Sunday Guided Wine Adventure with an emphasis on “adventure.”
Organizers also are looking for volunteers to help with the event.
All proceeds benefit the Rotary Club of Lakeport’s local and international projects.
For more information about the event, to volunteer or to register, go to www.konoctichallenge.com , or contact Jennifer Strong at
LAKEPORT, Calif. – Five dogs are ready for adoption this week at Lake County Animal Care and Control.
The dogs include a terrier puppy and several adult dogs that are mixes of Labrador Retriever, Pomeranian, Chihuahua and Rottweiler.
Dogs that are adopted from Lake County Animal Care and Control are either neutered or spayed, microchipped and, if old enough, given a rabies shot and county license before being released to their new owner. License fees do not apply to residents of the cities of Lakeport or Clearlake.
If you're looking for a new companion, visit the shelter. There are many great pets hoping you'll choose them.
The following dogs at the Lake County Animal Care and Control shelter have been cleared for adoption (additional dogs on the animal control Web site not listed are still “on hold”).
Pomeranian mix
This male Pomeranian mix is 2 years old.
He has a long black and white coat, is small in size and has been neutered.
He’s in kennel No. 7, ID No. 35274.
Male Chihuahua mix
This male Chihuahua mix is 3 years old.
He has a short gray coat, weighs just under 12 pounds and has been altered.
Visit him in kennel No. 8, ID No. 35284.
Jack Russell terrier mix pup
This male Jack Russell terrier mix puppy is 11 weeks old.
He has blue eyes, a short black and white coat, and weighs 4.4 pounds. He has been neutered.
Find him in kennel No. 20e, ID No. 34891.
‘Pluto’
This male Labrador Retriever mix, dubbed “Pluto” by shelter staff, is 2 years old.
He has a short black coat and is of medium size. It was not reported if he had been altered.
He’s in kennel No. 14, ID No. 35282.
‘Koda’
“Koda” is a year and a half old Rottweiler mix.
He weighs 87 pounds, has a short black and tan coat and a docked tail, and has been neutered.
Find him in kennel No. 16, ID No. 35273.
Please note: Dogs listed at the shelter's Web page that are said to be “on hold” are not yet cleared for adoption.
To fill out an adoption application online visit http://www.co.lake.ca.us/Government/Directory/Animal_Care_And_Control/Adopt/Dog___Cat_Adoption_Application.htm .
Lake County Animal Care and Control is located at 4949 Helbush in Lakeport, next to the Hill Road Correctional Facility.
Office hours are Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., and 1 p.m. to 3 p.m., Saturday. The shelter is open from 10:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Monday through Friday and on Saturday from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m.
Visit the shelter online at http://www.co.lake.ca.us/Government/Directory/Animal_Care_And_Control.htm .
For more information call Lake County Animal Care and Control at 707-263-0278.
Email Elizabeth Larson at
Out near the orbit of Jupiter, a faint speck of light is moving through the black of space.
At first glance it doesn’t look like much, no brighter than a thousand distant stars speckling the velvet sky behind it; indeed, it takes a big telescope make out that it is a comet.
But what a comet it could turn out to be ….
Later this year, “Comet ISON” could blossom into a striking naked eye object visible even in broad daylight.
“Comet ISON is a sungrazer,” explained Karl Battams of the Naval Research Lab. “The orbit of the comet will bring it very close to the sun, which we know can be a spectacular thing.”
Russian astronomers Vitali Nevski and Artyom Novichonok found the comet in September 2012. It bears the name of their night-sky survey program, the International Scientific Optical Network.
As 2013 unfolds, the comet is still very far away—near the orbit of Jupiter. That’s why it looks like a speck.
“But for an object at such extreme distance, it is actually very bright,” said Battams.
The comet’s glow suggests that is spewing gas and dust from a fairly large nucleus – “in the 1 to 10 km range,” estimated Matthew Knight of the Lowell Observatory.
On Nov. 28, 2013, this “dirty snowball” will fly through the sun’s atmosphere little more than a million km from the stellar surface.
If the comet survives – a big IF – it could emerge glowing as brightly as the Moon, briefly visible near the sun in broad daylight. The comet’s dusty tail stretching into the night sky could create a worldwide sensation.
Some reporters have started calling ISON the “Comet of the Century,” but Don Yeomans of NASA Near-Earth Object Program thinks that’s premature.
“I’m old enough to remember the last ‘Comet of the Century’,” he said.
In 1973, a distant comet named Kohoutek looked like it would put on a great show, much like ISON.
The actual apparition was such a letdown that Johnny Carson made jokes about it on The Tonight Show.
“It fizzled,” said Yeomans. “Comets are notoriously unpredictable.”
“Comet ISON has the potential to live up to the hype, but it also has the potential to do nothing,” agreed Battams.
One hazard is the sun. Tidal forces and solar radiation have been known to destroy comets.
A recent example is Comet Elenin, which broke apart and dissipated in 2011 as it approached the sun. Elenin, however, was a much smaller comet.
A better comparison, perhaps, is Comet Lovejoy, which flew through the sun’s atmosphere in 2011. Lovejoy emerged intact and wowed observers with a garish tail for weeks.
“Comet ISON is probably at least twice as big as Comet Lovejoy and will pass a bit farther from the sun’s surface,” said Knight. “This would seem to favor Comet ISON surviving and ultimately putting on a good show.”
One of the most exciting possibilities would be a partial breakup.
“If Comet ISON splits, it might appear as a ‘string of pearls’ when viewed through a telescope,” said Battams. “It might even resemble the famous Comet Shoemaker-Levy 9 that hit Jupiter in 1994.”
A breakup would pose no threat to Earth, said Yeomans. “Comet ISON is not on a collision course. If it breaks up, the fragments would continue along the same safe trajectory as the original comet.”
Whatever happens, northern sky watchers will get a good view.
For months after it swings by the sun, Comet ISON will be well placed for observers in the northern hemisphere.
It will pass almost directly over the North Pole, making it a circumpolar object visible all night long.
Will Comet ISON fizzle ... or sizzle? Stay tuned for updates.
Dr. Tony Phillips works for the National Aeronautics and Space Administration.
KELSEYVILLE, Calif. – In the wake of the death of a young Kelseyville man shot during a Friday night armed robbery, the shaken community has reacted with remembrances and an effort to raise a substantial reward.
Forrest Seagrave, a clerk at Mt. Konocti Gas and Mart – also known as “Store 24” – was shot in the chest at close range with a handgun during the nighttime robbery, as Lake County News has reported.
The assailant was described by witnesses as having worn dark clothing, including a hoodie, and a bandanna around his face.
After shooting Seagrave the male suspect was reported to have fled on foot across a nearby field, making away with a small amount of cash. He remained at large on Saturday.
Seagrave, who had worked at the store since 2006, was taken to Sutter Lakeside Hospital, where it was reported that he had died early Saturday morning.
A candlelight vigil in Seagrave's memory is scheduled to take place at Mt. Konocti Gas, located at 5475 Main St., beginning at 7 p.m. Saturday. Organizers are asking the community for donations to help Seagrave’s family.
County Supervisor Rob Brown, whose district includes the Kelseyville area, knew Seagrave, who had gone to Kelseyville High School at the same time as Brown's eldest son.
On Saturday morning Brown said he confirmed Seagrave's death with the Lake County Sheriff's Office, which had not yet put out a report on the shooting by early afternoon.
The gas station, which is temporarily closed for the investigation, was taped off shortly after the shooting, and sheriff's detectives along with Lake County District Attorney's Office investigators were working at the scene on Saturday. K-Corps was conducting a grid search of the field through which the suspect had fled.
On Saturday morning, Brown – who called the shooting a “senseless and tragic event” – began an effort to put together a $10,000 reward to lead to the arrest of the suspect.
In an email to community leaders, Brown wrote, “Not only is this sad for his family and our community, it is a frightening event in the seeming evolution of our little town as of late,” pointing out that the store is near Kelseyville High School.
Brown said the community needed to act, and he was beginning by raising the reward money to help the sheriff's office in its effort “to capture the animal that did this.”
He set as a goal a $10,000 reward, and by 1:30 p.m. said he had between $7,500 and $8,000 of it collected. Anyone wishing to donate can contact Brown at 707-349-2628.
Brown, who works as a bail bondsman, vowed to use his resources – both financial and his informants – to help capture the suspect.
Not long after it was reported he had died, Seagrave's Facebook page began to fill up with posts from his devastated friends, who wrote of their shock, sorrow and disbelief.
They also recalled his kindness, generosity and fun, paying tribute to his “heart of gold.”
Lake County News also was told by community members about Seagrave's courtesy to the store’s customers, including chivalrously walking women to their cars if he felt they needed protection.
Those posting on Seagrave’s Facebook page said he didn't have friends, he had family. He was generous, thoughtful, and concerned about those in his life.
His friend David Shary wrote, “Things like this never make sense. They never will. You were the nicest person I knew, the nicest person a lot of us knew.”
Shary told Lake County News in a separate message, “Whenever someone dies, everyone says the person was the kindest person alive. Well, in this case, it was actually true.”
Email Elizabeth Larson at
LOWER LAKE, Calif. – A Clearlake man died early Saturday when his vehicle went off the road and hit a tree.
The 29-year-old man, whose identity was not being released pending family notification, was the lone victim of the crash, which occurred at approximately 12:08 a.m. Saturday, according to the California Highway Patrol's Clear Lake Area office.
The driver was heading northbound on Highway 29 north of Marsh View Way in a 2012 Chevrolet Malibu when, for reasons still under investigation, he drove off the right shoulder and hit a tree, the CHP said.
The CHP said the man sustained fatal injuries and was pronounced dead at the scene.
The report noted that the man was not wearing his seat belt.
The crash remains under investigation by CHP Officer Matt Norton.